Mahé Plateau Line and Trap Fishery Co-Management Plan (ICCP) |24 February 2023
Yesterday’s meeting in full swing
Committee meets to take stock of control measures in place
The committee for the Mahé Plateau Line and Trap Fishery Co-Management Plan (ICCP) yesterday met to discuss further the progression of the plan for the sustainability of the marine resources on the plateau.
This was in terms of ensuring that the recommendations from the previous meetings for the sustainability of the marine resources, especially the Red Snapper and Job fish (Job Gri), which are under the management at the moment, were taken into consideration. It also included the enforcement aspect to see that the measures were well respected.
The ICCP meeting which was held at the Seychelles Trading Company (TSC) conference hall, Latanier Road, is the 19th session to be held since the setting up of the committee to manage the area to ensure sustainability of the resources for economic growth and for the livelihoods of people that depend on fishing.
The meeting was presided over by the chairman, Roy Clarisse, who is also the principal secretary for Fisheries in the Ministry of Fisheries and the Blue Economy. Although it did not have a quorum, the meeting went along with the approval of participants present but all decisions taken will be brought forward for approval in the next meeting to be held on April 20, 2023.
The participants were briefed on the developments since the last ICCP meeting (18thsession) held on December 15, 2022 among which includes a preliminary ongoing survey on size category of observe undersize red snapper and Job fish by the Seychelles Fishing Authority (SFA) and a second which involving the stakeholders, including those in the tourism industry among other fish related businesses, around the country, to understand the flow of the measures in place.
It is to be noted that as part of sustainability measures, it is an offence to catch the two above-mentioned species measuring less than 32cm long. Fishers are also not allowed to place fish traps at night during the breeding season of the rabbit fish (Kordonnyen) except during the day where only six among the 25 fish traps authorised per fishermen are authorised.
One of the main concerns among the participants, especially from the fishing community, was the rolling out of the enforcement, given that apart from the artisanal fishers, many other stakeholders involved in sport and leisure are also using the plateau area as their fishing grounds and it is not known if they are sticking to their required quotas.
It was revealed by SFA that while human resources remain an issue, several monitoring exercises did take place at the plateau, at landing sites and markets around the country and at fish processing plants and other businesses, including the hotels and restaurants, since the enactment of the measures on December 15, 2022 to sustain the Red Snapper and Job fish and where no infractions were recorded.
Another issue was the tagging of the fish traps which had stopped. The participants were informed that it was a misunderstanding. SFA had the old tags and was waiting for the new ones to start the tagging process but will resume with using the old tags to continue with the tagging which will be replaced when the new tags arrive.
Speaking after the meeting, PS Clarisse said although it seems that people do understand the raison d’être of the measures in place, the committee will still be focusing on its awareness programme and to further work with the community to ensure that the measures, which will also include for other species in the future, are fully respected.
He added that a taskforce has been formed to help SFA in implementing control and surveillance.
He said the authority is also engaging in memorandums of understanding with the police, the Seychelles Ports Authority (SPA) and Eden Island to further enlarge the scope of monitoring and surveillance, especially by the police, at landing sites and with the Eden management for the sport and leisure boats stationed at the marina at Roche Caiman.
PS Clarisse said that the committee will also be evaluating the co-management plan, as the first phase of the project, to consider its effectiveness which will further constitute to other species being added for control measures to sustain the stocks for the future.
Terence Labrosse, representing the Roche Caiman Fishermen’s Association and Rodney Nicole representing the Bel Ombre Fishermen’s Association, said that the artisanal fishermen do welcome and are adapting to the plan.
“We are slowly adapting to the plan and for the moment I think we are ok with it. But on the other hand, we are still waiting for mechanism, as mentioned, to be put in place to regulate the recreational and sport fishers as some among them are even selling their catch which they are not supposed to be doing,” Mr Nicole said.
Patrick Joubert